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2000 VOLLEYBALL REVIEW

2000 AUGUSTANA VIKINGS VOLLEYBALL REVIEW

Vikings finish 2000 season with school record 24 victories;

Amy Calderone ends career in style with two school records

When Liesl Fowler's team handed Wheaton a 3-0 (15-8; 15-13; 15-12) defeat in the third place match of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin volleyball tournament it was hardly a meaningless victory for the Vikings. The win over the Thunder put the finishing touches on a school record season that ended with a fine 24-10 overall record. That broke the old school record of 23 wins set by Fowler's 1996 team that finished 23-12 and won the CCIW title - the only league championship in Augustana history.

The Vikings finished second in the overall CCIW standings this past season with a total of eight points (four regular season points and four tournament points) while Elmhurst won with 12 points.

It was a banner season all the way around for Fowler and her team as the Vikings ended up the year ranked sixth in the NCAA Midwest Region. The lone senior on the team, Amy Calderone (Sherrard HS, Matherville, IL) had a banner year as she wrapped up a fine career. Calderone posted 365 kills in 119 games and wound up averaging 2.81 per game. She also had 491 digs and 34 blocks. She leaves Augustana as the school record holder in career digs with 1,530 and in career kills with 1,276. Her average of 3.20 kills per game in 1999 is second on the single season list and she was a three time all-conference selection in the CCIW. After being named third team in 1998 and second team in 1999, Calderone moved up to the first team this time around. She was also a member of the CCIW all-tournament team in 2000. She will graduate third on the career list of service aces with 101.

Junior setter Kiersten Madden (Kickapoo HS, Springfield, MO) set a new school record this past fall for assists in a single match when she recorded 77 against North Central on September 29 in Naperville, Illinois. She also had matches of 63, 60, 59 and 58 and she now occupies six of the top 10 single match performances in Augustana history. Madden, who was an all-tournament selection and a second team all-conference performer, led the CCIW in assists with an average of 11.73 in league games.

Overall this past year, Madden recorded 1,389 assists in 129 games for an average of 10.77 per game, which is a new school record. Madden is second on the all-time career assists list with 2,779 with one year left and she needs just 249 to move past Carie Baughman's school record of 3,027 from 1994-97. Madden is fourth on the career service aces listing with 95 and she is ninth in digs with 733. A versatile performer who finished the season with 140 kills, 350 digs and 48 blocks, she had one game against Millikin where she recorded 17 blocks which is the sixth best single match performance in school history.

Junior Julie Constien (Glenbard North HS, Carol Stream, IL) was chosen to the third team of the CCIW all-conference team and she led the Vikings in kills with 394 in 123 games for an average of 3.20 per game. That is tied for the second best single season average on the all-time Augustana list. She is fourth on the career kills list with 1,039 and fourth in career blocks with 343. Her 28 kills performance against Elmhurst on September 19 is the second best single match figure ever recorded and her 18 blocks against Millikin on September 12 is tied for third. Constien managed 140 blocks for a 1.14 average to lead the team in that category.

Freshman Callyn Dittmar (United Township HS, East Moline, IL) and Calderone ended the season as co-school record holders when they both averaged 4.10 digs per game, breaking the old mark of 4.0 set by Sarah Bengtson in 1997. Dittmar had a tremendous first season as she scored 365 kills in 129 games for an average of 2.83 per game while picking up 533 digs. After just one year her 533 digs ranks her 11th on the career list.

Sophomore Jessi Borhart (Marengo HS, Marengo, IL) moved into the 10th spot on the career digs list with 583.

The Vikings did not shy away from any competition this past season, playing a total of 12 matches against teams that were either ranked nationally or regionally. They won the Augustana Invitational and their second place finish in the CCIW was the best finish since the 1996 team won the league title.

HEAD COACH LIESL FOWLER: Liesl Fowler is in her ninth year as the head coach at her alma mater (class of 1990). She is the winningest coach in school history as she has compiled a record of 193-133 during that time frame.